Each day, John Jay Fellows read dozens and even hundreds of pages of theology, philosophy, political science, and more--and write short papers reflecting on their readings. This is one such paper.

Ross A. Hougham '17

In “Christianity and Culture,” J. Gresham Machen offers a proactive alternative to thefailed responses of the Christian Church to modern culture. He begins byemphasizing the way in which the practices of the Church have been prone toseparation from the world and from culture, leading to a status quo in which aChristian’s devotion to his or her faith is limited to only one day of the week, whilethe rest of the week is purposed for maximal removal from the faith. Moreover, dueto the secularization of education, research, and learning, a Christian’s Sundayworship and preaching become as shallow as they are short, with no grounding inproper study. This compartmentalization of the Church from culture (and byculture, Machen is referring in part to academic study) has discarded any attempt toexplore the possible relationship between them.

Machen offers three disparate ways for Christians to handle this divide. First andworst, Christians can treat their faith and religious practices are being subject to therulings of the culture. In this way, Christianity naturally (though usuallyunintentionally) becomes a product of the culture, and by consequence subject tohuman invention and tampering.

Second, Christians can believe that their faith exists to destroy culture as an intrinsicevil. While this approach may be practiced in open and unintellectual war, it canmore commonly be seen in an equally unintellectual retreat from the world. Cultureis seen from this view as a necessary evil within which Christians must operate butnot engage. Tools for apologia and education are thus disloyal to God and contraryto the gospel. This is, in essence, the stripping of Christianity of its intellectual merit,and the reliance on unchallenged piety for Christian growth. Machen likens this sortof Christian to the soldier who avoids the battlefield in order to hide in the comfortof winter lodging. As with the Christian hiding from culture, this is the easy way outof problems, but the soldier is rendered worthless in the fight. The more relatablechildren’s maxim refers to this practice as hiding one’s light under a bushel.Additionally, this second method is unnatural when viewing the good news of thegospel. “Despite all we can do, the desire to know and the love of beauty cannot beentirely stifled, and we cannot permanently regard these desires as evil.” In short, itstarves the Christian.

Third, and arguably most conducive with God’s directives, Christians should beconsecrated – set apart to work within the culture and bring it into accordance withthe will of God. Christians must engage the culture and study it. In so doing, thechurch either proves ungodly parts of culture to be wrong, or it uses the culture todefend the faith. In higher education, a dedicated Christian influence can bring afuller color and brilliance to everything being studied and taught, because those inthe culture begin to discover that everything they study in science, history, art, andmathematics points toward Jesus Christ and the existence of an all-powerful God.When Christians get their hands dirty and work within the structure of culture, theycomplete the picture that culture is otherwise struggling unsuccessfully to paint.This then empowers God’s work on Earth, and prepares the way for God’s kingdom.There is joy in this pursuit, not the droll plodding of a life lived blind to God’s largertimeline, or alternatively lived in compromise, never recognizing the fullness ofGod’s perfect plan. The world and the culture is ready to be shown this truth thathas been kept under wraps, separated from culture for too long. It is theresponsibility of the Church to reconnect the culture to its ultimate aim, and so givereason for the hope that is within them while God opens the hearts of those in need.After all, there is a great God that needs to be loved and a war that needs to be won.There is the urgency to act.